New Delhi, April 16 (NationPress) In a major setback to the revival efforts of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Amir Hamza, the organization’s co-founder and second-in-command, was targeted by unidentified attackers in Lahore, Pakistan, near a television station.

He is currently hospitalized with serious injuries and is reported to be in a critical state. This incident transpired while he was outside a news channel’s office in Lahore on Thursday.

Hamza was already receiving treatment for injuries sustained in a separate incident at his home in Lahore when this shooting occurred. As a significant figure in Lashkar-e-Taiba, he co-established the terror group alongside Hafiz Saeed and is originally from Gujranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

He has held the position of editor for Lashkar-e-Taiba’s official publication and authored several notable works, such as Qafila Da’wat aur Shahadat and Shahrah-e-Bahisht.

A veteran of the Afghan Mujahideen, he is also recognized as a compelling speaker.

At 67 years old, Hamza was designated as a global terrorist by the United States in August 2012.

Additionally, he has been a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s central advisory committee. When he was designated, the US Treasury Department stated: “Hamza has led a charity linked to LeT and, as of 2010, was also an officer and member of a university trust associated with LeT that was led by Saeed.”

Hamza is known to have had strong connections with Saeed, Abdul Rehman Makki, and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, according to officials.

Moreover, he was assigned to establish camps in Jammu and Kashmir and other regions of North India during the 2000s. His name emerged in connection with terrorist Abu Saifullah during the 2005 IISc attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.

Following a ban on Lashkar-e-Taiba’s charity wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, Hamza initiated Jaish-e-Manqafa.

To evade scrutiny from authorities, Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed a rift between him and Saeed, which was inaccurate.

A statement from Lahore police indicated that unidentified assailants fired at the vehicle of the Chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool Pakistan at Hamdard Chowk.

This marks the second attempt on his life, the first occurring in May 2025. Following that attempt, the security detail for Lashkar-e-Taiba was heightened.

An official from the Intelligence Bureau remarked that this incident could significantly hinder Lashkar-e-Taiba’s revival initiatives.

While Hamza may not have been actively operational, his influence as an ideologue and powerful speaker was vital, especially as the organization sought new recruits.

During Operation Sindoor, various Lashkar-e-Taiba assets, including their main training base at Muridke, were dismantled by the Indian armed forces. His shooting could further demoralize ranks that already felt the leadership had failed to safeguard them during Operation Sindoor.

This operation was executed by Indian forces to retaliate for the Pahalgam attack. Since then, recruitment has become increasingly challenging, with many members losing faith in their leadership.

Additionally, infiltration efforts are reportedly stalled. At this critical juncture, Lashkar-e-Taiba was depending heavily on Hamza to enhance recruitment and expand operations.

This incident coincides with a spate of mysterious killings of terrorists in Pakistan over the last four years.

In March of the previous year, Hafiz Saeed’s close associate Abu Qatal was allegedly shot by unidentified individuals in Jhelum district. The 43-year-old commander was also Saeed’s nephew.

In March 2024, Sheikh Jaleel-ur-Rahman, Secretary of the United Jihad Council, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Shahid Latif of Jaish-e-Mohammad, believed to be the mastermind behind the 2016 Pathankot attack, was shot in Sialkot in October 2023.

Dawood Malik, an aide to Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, was shot in North Waziristan just days before Latif's death. Maulana Ziaur Rehman, a radicalized youth, was killed in Karachi in September 2023.

In the same month, Abu Qasim was killed by unidentified assailants in Rawalakot, being the main planner of an attack in Rajouri district that resulted in seven deaths and 13 injuries.

Sardar Hussain, an associate of Saeed, was killed in Sindh province in August 2023. In March 2022, Zahoor Mistry, one of the hijackers of Indian Airlines flight IC 814, was killed by two individuals in Karachi.